Arabic in Land of Black Gold

By far the most changed Tintin Story, Land of Black Gold went through two complete reworkings. For the final version, the one we see in the American editions, Hérgé substituted real Arabic for the merely Arabic-looking lettering of the original. (See Tintin The Complete Companion, by Michael Farr, p130)

The translations here come courtesy of Ruth McDonough, who, in 2006, was a student in the Arabic for Text program at Swarthmore College.

“God cursed you...You son of a dog, he curses your father, by thunder!”